Today’s Woman A S p e c i a l S e c t i o n o f T h e S c a r s da l e I n q u i r e r i M a r c h 2 2 , 2 013
Beauty Basics
Natural Beauty
Putting the best you forward By LAURIE SULLIVAN
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ave you ever been tempted (lured?) by a “makeup artist” in a department store to do a makeover, only to be disappointed in the results — then pressured to buy the products they’ve used? Believe me, I’ve been there. You look in the mirror and wonder who’s staring back at you! Fortunately there are many avenues to take to naturally enhance your looks.
Spring fashion
Sporty flair and floral prints are freshest trends By TRACI DUTTON LUDWIG
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et in shape for spring! After winter’s long months of cozy knits, warm boots and layers, it’s time for a change. Spring fashions embody the pleasures of fresh air, sunshine and renewed strength. Influences drawn from athletics, geometric design and menswear add a decidedly sporty flair. Dresses with dramatic floral prints satisfy traditionalists. Want more? Here’s a walk-through of a dozen easy looks that will put you totally on trend with spring’s new styles.
Indulge: look and feel better At first blush, facials and massages may seem a bit indulgent, but according to Lise (pronounced Lisa) Barbanti, owner of Massage Envy Spa in Scarsdale, the benefits of both can actually improve your appearance and be therapeutic as well. The spa has 25 certified massage therapists and aestheticians. “We are always growing, always hiring because of our member base,” Barbanti said. In a joint interview with Barbanti and head aesthetician, Francesca Greco, who previously owned her own spa and has 13 years’ experience, explained the benefits of the spa’s various services. They interview clients when they first come in to find out what their goals are and then come up with a customized treatment plan for them, be it massage or a facial. Thirty percent of their clients being men. Greco: “Men are coming to take better care of their skin. We ask questions about the skin, what they would like to improve. That’s why they come in and see us.” Barbanti: “This is something I didn’t know before I got into this business, that facials can actually reverse the visible signs of aging.” Greco: “The first thing people see is your face. It’s important to keep your skin clean. You have to exfoliate your skin; it reduces fine lines. As you get older the skin loses elasticity. It will never stop the aging process, but you can slow it down and have this [facials] done regularly. I’m not in favor of fillers and injections. I tell people they have to have a home care regimen between visits to the spa. They need eye creams, skin creams. They have to feed the skin. It’s very important.” Barbanti: “Some aesthetician graduates are now using machines. We believe in natural procedures; we use the natural, healing process. We have a wellness program, with very reasonable prices. People can come in monthly for either massage or facials.” Greco: “Some people ask if they should get fillers and I say, ‘Try this first.’ I tell them the pros and cons of each. This is a no-risk way, a natural way to look better. Facial massage [also] improves collagen production. I’ve had people who had high blood pressure who
Sportswear Athletic inspiration is the most defining idea of the season. From pants to skirts to dresses, silhouettes and styling reference the gym, the tennis court or the track. Encompassing a wide variety of textiles, daytime pants resemble track pants with the addition of a vertical stripe down the leg. Sheaths borrow the look of tennis dresses with appropriately fitted bodices and traditionally constructed skirts. Zippered warm-up jackets are no longer just for warming up, and ice skating-like skirts look just as beautiful off the rink as on the rink. Rounding out these looks are tank tops in athletic fabrics, mesh tops for layering and gym shorts in traditional daywear fabrics. Black and white Nothing is as basic as the clean look of black or white. For simple elegance, choose solid separates in these ultra-neutrals. White jeans are the “it” pants of the season, so consider splurging on a fabulous pair. Beyond solids, black and white combinations are dominating this year’s printed fabrics, and they are attracting attention with a bang. To amplify the excitement, go for a modern print. The sharp contrast between black and white reverberates with energy. Look for bold geometric patterns such as stripes, checkerboards, zigzags, chevrons and spirals. Or go for an equally dramatic, but subtler, manifestation of the look — such as a white jacket with black trim and cuffs or an ebony A-line skirt punctuated by one oversized white circle. By playing with offContinued on page 5A
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Carole and K.T. Korngold
Two generations on a Montessori mission By JACKIE LUPO
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ifty years ago, when Carole Wolfe Korngold was pregnant with her first child, she was invited to a lecture by Nancy McCormick Rambusch, who was a pioneer in bringing educational methods developed by Dr. Maria Montessori to America. It was a lecture that ended up changing her life. “I was so inspired when I heard Nancy Rambusch speak,” said Carole, an Edgemont resident who is founder and executive director of the Center for Montessori Teacher Education/New York in White Plains. “I decided I not only wanted it for my daughter, I wanted it for myself.” Carole and her husband were living in Albany at the time; she had been a buyer for Bloomingdales when they lived in New York, and it hadn’t occurred to her that she would soon be launched in a completely different career direction. But when her first daughter, K.T., was born, she started looking for a Montessori school in the Albany area and discovered there were none. “I decided there had to be more to life than telling women to buy black patent purses for spring,” Carole said. Together with a group of parents, Carole started the Montessori School of Albany, with herself as administrator. Some time later, her two daughters, K.T. and Jamie, were in the first Montessori “demonstration” class Carole established at SUNY Albany (Jamie Korngold, two years younger than K.T., is a Reform rabbi in Boulder, Colo., who is known as the “Adventure Rabbi” because of her programs that integrate
Inside
JIM MACLEAN PHOTO
Mom Carole Korngold, front, and daughter K.T. Korngold, top right, are joined by a Montessori student in White Plains.
spirituality with the outdoors. She is the author of the book “God in the Wilderness.”) Fast-forward five decades: Carole, after years of study and teaching of both Montessori education and Montessori teacher education, is as enthusiastic an evangelist for Montessori as she was as a new parent. But within the world of Montessori education in America, Carole Wolfe Korngold is now a legend. She has been designated as a “Living Legacy” by the Ameri-
The ‘inescapable’ mother-daughter bond... Page 3A
can Montessori Society in recognition of her contributions to Montessori education, thanks to the many teacher-training programs she has established throughout the United States, culminating in her founding the Center for Montessori Teacher Education in White Plains in 1979. Since then, thousands of Montessori teachers have been trained at CME/NY, which is headquartered on the grounds of the Burke Rehabilitation Center and also trains teachers TRENDS
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in Montessori at the College of New Rochelle. The Montessori Children’s Center, operated by CME/NY in an adjacent building on the Burke campus, offers Montessori child care and education for children from 3 months through 5 years. Carole, 77, is a petite, vivacious woman. (She sometimes jokes that she chose to teach young children because they were the only ones who were shorter than she was.) She speaks with a deep, abiding conviction that the methods of Montessori are the right way to teach children because they are based on the way children really learn; she also believes that Montessori is “a more peaceful way to raise a child.” Today, Carole can be sure her legacy will continue, because her daughter K.T. is now the CEO of CME/ NY. K.T., a Stamford resident and mother of two who is a trained infant and toddler Montessori specialist, has a master’s degree in writing from CoContinued on page 8A
Women’s Health:
Menopause in the 21st century... Page 7A
Luisa Cerano at En Vogue in Scarsdale is “For selfconfident, fashionable, independent women all over the world.”